For many years I made my living as a sound engineer. I did monitors for some of your favorites bands and guitar players. During that time I got up close and intimate with their guitar rigs, mic’d them up and got to solo them I’m my head phones. The best guitar tone I ever heard was Christopher Cross, and he lived up to it with his playing…and I am a guitar player myself. Christopher Cross is criminally under rated as a guitar player
Trivia question for those that need a free beer. Christopher Cross was born Christopher Geppert, living in San Antonio. Deep Purple came to town and their guitar player became ill, and for this one concert young Christopher Geppert stepped in and played all the Deep Purple songs with the rest of the band. I wish there was a recording of it.
I think the best engineers are musicians. A person can be a technical wiz, but what good is it if the music does not crank! I am often amazed at internationally televised music events where the sound person seems to be taking a vaction. My take is that a good sound tech is like a conductor of an orchestra; having the same dynamic is simply boring!
@Mike America I was in a band that opened for Aaron Neville and Rose Royce (the most talented, incredible band I have ever heard!) in Golden Gate Park, San Fransicso; it looked like an ocean of people! Yet, the greatest thrill of my life is to know Christ. Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
I'm sure I remember Christopher Cross's guitar solo being much louder and clearer when Christopher performed Ride Like the Wind at a Michael McDonald Concert. But for some reason the studio version seems to emphasize the vocals, like they wanted to drown out the guitar work.
Yes indeed i remember when my mom bought the Albums she would play music for family when they visited but she Djed as well so she always bought two Albums. I grew up listening to everything my grandfather was a true to life African American cowboy and he always listened to country my oldest brother loved Def leopard and the likes i love music and I remember when she got home with the albums she let me pick any song since it was my 12th birthday and not even knowing I asked her to play the number 8 and to this day I love the song much. It just reminds me of her beautiful smile. She passed away five years later. 😢
ABSOLUTELY!! I gave you a thumbs up as You wrote your comment quite simply & short.. yet so strongly to the point & truth of Christopher's work!! I must say that at the time of it's release, and it's "ownership of the airwaves".. it was overpoweringly ubiquitous(!!).. my Mother even played it over & over &.. and it just wasn't my style!! And tho' I couldn't escape it.. I've always loved that solo he played that was sooo' hidden in the mix on "Ride Like The Wind"!! Now that I've broadened my musical tastes.. and I've come to appreciate artists I once passed on.. I've added Christopher's work of musical genius to my rotation!! I truly enjoy what He's given to the "World of Music".. Beautiful, Beautiful stuff!!
Rick, tonight we saw Christopher Cross at Epcot and he ended with this song - of course. And yes, the guitar solo was definitely up in the mix. So I stopped by the tech guys and spoke with Dave Swanson, who was on the mixing board. I asked him if he was aware of this video...and he was! He said he DEFINITELY keeps Christopher's solo up at the end of this song...and I told him we came specifically to see that solo...we had a good laugh. You're doing great work on your channel...and the WORK you put in is obvious. This is not happening by accident. Nice job!
epcot what a disappointment. grow up. look into disney not something to ever get your kids into. god forbid adult still following this demonic corpse-oration
Who else is back here after watching the Chris Cross interview all the way through? I love the lead isolated, on a 59 LP no less. What a treasure. Dam thats good.
@@markahles5967 I know right? I could listen to his stories all night, Rick asks such great questions doesn't he? Plus you can see he is in the conversation not like me trying to think of what Im going to say next hahaha.
I used to work with a guy who toured with Christopher Cross in the sound crew. He always spoke highly of Mr. Cross, and said he was very pleasant. It's nice when talented people turn out to be good people as well... :)
I used to go out with a nurse who had him as a patient. She told him I was a fan and he did an impromptu concert on the ward for the nurses and other patients and played my favourite song of his!
Former radio station Program Director here... my speculation is the track was intended for the "Adult Contemporary" format. Intense guitar solos could keep a song off the air, or day-parted till after 8 PM. Christopher Cross' successes like "Sailing", "Arthur's Theme", "Laura", etc. were all right in the pocket for the A/C era. I'm stunned he can play guitar at that level. Michael Omartian, as producer, possibly made the decision a Christopher Cross voice was the unique instrument vs trying to launch another guitar player.
I heard this song many times while sitting in the doctor's office waiting room. I doubt that would have been the case had the guitar solo been turned up.
Nailed it. Some suit probably heard it and thought it would scare my audience at Stereo 100.3fm, Marquette’s Music Leader. We played Drake Chenault reel to reels, if that rings a bell. And I haven’t heard the term “day-parted” in a long long time.
@@PZBrooklyn No, I think he's bang on. Adult contemporary was definitely a thing in the 70's. Think bands like Seals and Crofts, or songs like Baby Come Back. Part of the AM top 40 pop station staples, along with Disco and Soul and pop ballads. It was actually harder to get what we think of as Classic Rock onto the airwaves in those days, outside of the FM album oriented rock stations like Q107 or Chum FM in Toronto. Chum FM is a pop station now, but it wasn't when DJ's like Rick Ringer were doing hour and a half interviews with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee as release parties for albums like Hemispheres and Permanent Waves. But none of that made it onto the big AM pop stations. That's why those classic rock bands had so few big singles. Ironically, by the early '80's, the FM album oriented rock stations were bigger by far than the fast fading AM top 40 stations. LOL.
Dude, THANK YOU. I was a teen when Ride Like the Wind came out. I would obsess over that solo and I've played it hundreds of times always aching to hear it properly. What a treat, can't thank you enough.
Yeah, You & Myself and many, many, Other's are finally givin' CC' His respect.. decades later!! It perplexes Being that I'd picked up on the now famous "Buried Solo" right away, I just fig'd it was some Hot Shot Studio Rat that laid those nasty licks down.. And anyone that says they knew back then, that it was CC' Himself rippin' up that solo.. is fulla' 💩.. Blatantly at that!!
@@LeadMe2TheBliss Well'ph.. This chat here'bout Mr. Cross.. has gone waaaay' far, far, beyond thee' Obvi' @this point.. Kinda' like, Myself, or anybody else, adding that Mr. Cross won 4 outta' thee' 6 Grammy's He was nominated for.. and that "if" He were a baseball player.. He'd be hitting at a highly impressive clip of .550+ Anything NEW out there?
I've always appreciated Ride Like The Wind as a great song and loved that outro solo but would've NEVER guessed it to be Christopher Cross himself, but always assumed it was just some uncredited studio player. Amazing playing if you ask me. I've got a newfound respect for Cross.
Ah, not sure if you've seen it, but you get to see Cross playing that outro in the official Promo Vid for the song. Again though, sound-wise it is similarly quite subdued in the overall mix.
I can't believe it never occurred to me how odd a choice it was for it to be mixed so low... Especially with it being his own solo, on his own record! Always appreciated what i could hear of it though lol
Were you deaf? The only thing I hated about that song when it came out was that the guitar wasn't mixed up correctly and that they didn't release an extended version with all the outro guitar riffs that clearly were HoT AF!
I heard Ride Like The Wind, on a Huffy bicycle commercial on TV. Fell in love with the song instantly. And my dad bought me a Huffy Pro Thunder BMX, great times!
@@dansavik7137 Nah it’s cool. I like the tongue in cheekness of it. A lot of it is great music though. Steely Dan might be one of the greatest American bands ever.
Rick, you should get Christopher on and discuss this. I'd love hear his thoughts on how this came about. Definitely one of my favorite albums of all-time.
Adding a vote here for this. Please please follow up. You could even do a really cool series on producer and artist choices made in the studio on some of these songs and it would be awesome, especially if you could get guests in to talk about the experience. The artistic process is fascinating to a lot of people.
I really hope Chris sees this and gets the appreciation he deserves. Sounds great at the proper level! LOVE this tune and "Yacht Rock"! No shame about that here.
Yacht Rock is life!!! If you've never seen the series put up on TH-cam about 12 years ago, it's so awesome and hilarious. Michael McDonald was asked if he'd seen it during an interview and he's a fan.
Actually, Christopher was THE local guitar hero in San Antonio during the late 60s early 70s. He had a Prog rock band sort of, called the Flash. But when I finally did get out and hear him, it had become a power trio. He covered the entire Cream catalog, solos practically note for note and all. (I’m sure you can notice the Clapton in his solo). he was the only guy in town that had all the stuff nailed, the right rigs with Marshalls and dual showman stacks. I think they also covered some Led Zeppelin if I recall correctly. Plus, he was the band’s lead singer (grab that crotch!). You gotta admire the guys wisdom and discipline for forsaking all of that to focus on songwriting, and market testing anything he wrote with labels until he finally came out with the right mix, hitting the market at just the right point, that sliver of time when “classic rock“ was starting to get a little old (the rationale, I’m sure, behind this marginalized solo), but MAINLY…the short era right before punk and MTV came in. Right up there he was, along with Michael McDonald and the other aforementioned artists.
I love the entire "yacht rock" genre for two reasons. 1) it reminds me of being in my parents car listening to AM radio in the late 70s and 2) if you really listen to many of these bands they contain some of the jazziest-rock guitar work of all time. Really prog stuff blended with balls-out rock. Very seldom do you hear anything like that now.
What an apt description...so much of the deeper yacht stuff by Gino Vannelli, Pages, Toto, Airplay, Manhattan Transfer, Nielsen/Pearson, etc. is *super* fusiony/proggy muso oriented. It's like pop for nerd musicians!
@@joetheplummer8128 it's a more recent and mildly depreciative name given to a type of soft adult oriented rock popular in the 70's to 80's that was very smooth, melodic, relaxing with strong jazz and or soft rnb influences, slick and well produced and easy on the ear, kinda music you may picture a yuppie back then listening to on his yatch hifi system with a cigar and brandy and eye candy close by. "Sailing" by Christopher Cross and "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Croft are considered two of the ultimate yatch rock songs. Other artistes are Player, Poco, Rupert Holmes, Gino Vanelli, Al Jarreau, Ambrosia, Doobie Bros, Michael McDonald, Eric Carmen, Steely Dan etc
I have literally never heard the Doobie Bros referred to as yacht rock until this video. I also didn't know people thought of Steely Dan was a yacht rock band either. Christopher Cross DEFINITELY fit the bill though. I think of Sailing as one of THE quintessential "80's" songs. Also he has a song called All Right that seriously sounds like it could have been the theme song to an 80's sitcom.
@@backslash68 Yes, I heard CC talking about that in various interviews. The shame is that when he asked the Purple guys some time later about it, they flat-out denied that it had happened. Listening to the isolated solo in Rick's video, you can hear that CC certainly had the chops and the flair to have been an excellent stand-in .
@Carl Marjeux no, the solo on ride like the wind is by Cross. Google it - you will find an interview with the original record producer confirming that.
Just finished watching ur Cristopher Cross interview - wow, what an amazing guy! He was ideally positioned in a time/history to have toured with Zeppelin, filled in for Deep Purple guitarist, knew and grew up with Eric Johnson, knew and played/recorded with Toto and Larry Carlton, was best friends with amp builder Howard Dumble of Dumble Amps, knew Billy Gibbons personally, knew Joni Mitchell personally and Bonnie Raitt. Met Stevie and Played SRV guitar But still humble.
I've seen Christopher play this solo and many of the others described here live and I was totally stunned. No doubt an incredibly underrated guitarist who got far more notoriety because of his amazing vocals.
I'm a big fan of this channel. It so great to see a CC piece like this. Having been one of Christopher's engineers for many years I have to say there is so much amazing guitar work on all the albums in the catalog. For pure melody I'm really fond of the solo on "Curled Around the World" from Walking In Avalon. I also love Chris' meticulous acoustic fingerpicking work on the Christmas album and others. Also, I texted CC about this video so he has seen it.
@@burningoldsage4012 I didn't imagine it was his doing, but just curious if he's got any insight into the mixing I didn't even know there WAS a solo in that song! Let alone a shredder like that!
Rick has an amazing way of commenting on things, like he's with a group of friends drinking beer. He is magnificently entertaining, believable, and friendly to anyone who listens.
Eric’s tone, his attack, those delicious legato runs are instantly recognizable. There is some killer guitar playing on Christopher’s debut album. Larry and Eric, and yet I didn’t have any idea that Christopher played this lead. I’ve always liked his music, but now I have to pick up this debut album. You cost me so much money, Rick! And I know I’m not the only one.
I never knew that Christopher Cross was a guitarist of any note. I thought he was a singer songwriter who just strummed an acoustic. You learn something new every day. Well, you do on Rick's channel anyway.
He played a free show in Woodstock GA this past September, and I was free, so I went and checked it out, and same. I didn't know until then that he's quite a good lead guitar player. Always assumed it was someone else.
Chris plays all the guitar solos in his live shows. "Ride Like The Wind" was one of the few tunes in the early days Chris recorded his own solo on the original recording.
It always makes me so happy to watch the pure enthusiasm Rick shows, as he both discovers the gems-within-a-gem, and then shares that discovery with all of us! Pure Joy, right there! Thank you, Rick!
I was thinking, "I can hear the solo", but when you turned it up I could really hear what I was missing! It almost becomes like a completely different song. More rockin!!!
I could always hear it and the edginess of the recording drew my attention. Great to have rick shine the light on a masterful solo. The remainder of CC's hits were fluff.
I've seen him live at least 8 times and when he plays this solo, I'm always blown away. Like everyone else, I never heard the solo on the record. When he does it live it's even better than what he did on the record. He never really got his due, but for some of us, we've been fans for years and love all of his albums. Check out his work with his band Freedonia. Sublime!
Playing "air guitar" while holding an actual real guitar. Gotta love Rick's enthusiasm! (lol) So many of these hit songs during the mid to late seventies and into the early 80's were made during the era of the LA session musician. Guys like Lukather, Carlton, Robben Ford, Jay Graydon, etc. became the hottest commodities in studio production, so it wouldn't be unusual to have these poppy songs with ripping guitar solos that, like this one, might get overlooked if you weren't paying attention. But I had no idea Cross was playing this one himself! It's a really interesting period for music.
THANK YOU for shining a light on this epic, underappreciated, incredible guitar solo that I used to crank up as far as the volume knob would go driving up California Interstate 5 in January 1980. Christopher Cross NEVER got the respect and admiration he deserved but a LOT of us knew how he could slay a fret board. Props to you, Rick, for recognizing that too.
I'm not sure about Cross 'never' getting respect or admiration. He actually won five Grammy Awards and an Oscar for Best Original Song, "Arthur's Theme", in 1981.
The first time I ever heard this tune that guitar solo immediately stood out to me, and I could never understand why it was hidden behind everything else. I tried for years to get my friends to listen to it and they wouldn't simply because it was Christopher Cross and he was too mellow, or cheesy, or whatever they thought. Now all these years later you have given me proof Rick Beato, and I'm directing all those same people to this video.
My brother, born in '62, bought this album when it came out. I was born in '66, but we shared a room growing up. However, he suddenly died in 1980. I identify this song most with him, as I rocked out to it all the time around his sudden death. I always thought the same as you Rick, why is this incredible solo buried in the mix. I really appreciate your videos, but this one is really special for me for obvious reasons. I still think about him all the time. Thank you!
Finally! Someone's finally talking about how great this solo is. By the way, the whole album is killer. I've been a great Christopher Cross fan since I was a kid.
OK you took the words right out of my mouth. I was saying THESE EXACT WORDS to my husband not very long ago. I told him, just listen to this solo - really listen to it. It's unbelievably good, I don't even have the words to describe how perfect it is. What a massive talent... Thank you for putting this out there!
Watching your videos makes the casual listener a smarter listener. Its like watching a sports event with a great color commentator. I learn a ton from your videos!
Rick Beato is the music appreciation teacher I wish I had in school. I love discovering what makes all this great music so great, simplified so a non-musician can follow along.
I had the cassette tape and the album. I drove a 68 mustang fastback and I installed my own cassette player and played the songs on this album for years. I knew every word and I can still remember the music in my head, every note. I'm amazed by the power of music.
Yep. I grew up listening to this stuff. Had all of his albums. Never realized until today that some of my favorite musicians played on that album. Larry Carlton is one of my all-time favorites. He played on so many tracks I never knew he played on. Freaking amazing.
This is the kind of thing that keeps bringing me back to Rick's videos. He features the hidden gems in great songs that would otherwise be lost in the "noise" of history.
Rick, the way you communicate with your audience makes it feel like we're sitting right there with you. Your passion for the music and the subject you're discussing really comes thru every time.
This is one of my very favorite songs . Thank you for this . I could always hear it . He is magical . His ability to play like this and his ability to sing like that is amazing . These guitar players never were given the credit that they deserve . I remember all these pieces . Amazing !!!Thank you for pointing it out. They made history and rightly so! They should never be forgotten.
Holy crap! THAT solo was hidden in that song??!! How did we miss that? This song really needs to be rereleased with that solo at proper volume. It completely takes it to the next level. Are there any other similarly hidden gems out there?
I would subscribe to the channel that showed hidden gems like this. I may start one! I'd probably just showcase lesser-known songs I think are awesome. Your comments are so spot on, I'd want you as a guest host!
The Terry Kath mentions nailed it down the best. It has that slight push to it that Kath displayed in every solo he played. Never knew Cross had it in him. Great stuff!
@Carl Marjeux Actually in Guitar Magazine 2001 in an interview, Eric said his solo DID NOT make it to the final cut, and that this was done by Chris. His only contribution was on Minstrel Gigolo.
@Carl Marjeux It has an EJ feel, but had a push to it that doesn't sound like EJ. I am glad Rick took the time to find the isolated track...as good as my ear is, I could not really hear everything that was happening. Pulling it out front changes the whole feel of the song.
I will admit that yes it is hard to hear the solo but I have always heard it. It is one of the huge factors in why I love the song so much. The entire song it's just like a wave of sound, it creates an atmosphere that only few other songs can compare.
Problem is the vamping hits similar pitch too often and swallows alot of what he is doing so it almost disappears at times. Producer had a job to do and failed
Yeah everytime I hear this brilliant song I'm always waiting for that blistering guitar solo by Chris. To me it fits the song perfectly and I see no reason to lower the very textured and layered sound to accommodate it. Christopher Cross is probably known more for his singing because he's a great singer and has tons of hit songs because of it. You watch him perform live you'll see that he can really play. He certainly has nothing to prove. Not every musician/singer feels the need to flex all of the time. Nothing wrong with it and I'm not knocking it. He's simply known more for his impressive vocals.
This album came out when I was in high school. Between wearing out the vinyl and listening to this song on the radio likely several hundred of times, I have NEVER discerned the guitar solo. This was an amazing revelation. Thank you!
I saw a youtube of him live, probably from a bit later. Christopher Cross played a blazing solo. I thought of him as stummed guitar and sang (both quite well) on his sailboat. I didn't think he could shred.
Rick, you have completely unearthed a lost treasure! I've heard this song thousands of times since it's release--I grew up with it. Until now, that guitar solo was the most forgettable aspect of the song. You made it stand out as the highly memorable piece it truly is. Thank you!
He did the same thing with The Cars - Just What I Needed. There is guitar in that song that can barely be heard, guitar so tasty that now that I know it's there, I hear it every time and it makes that great song twice as good.
@@matthewpeterson3329 Did you know that Eliot Easton went on to play with Creedence Clearwater Revisited Band after leaving The Cars? A buddy I used to work with Tal Morris was his replacement when he (Elliot) left the band.
It's so cool to watch a highly skilled musician such as yourself doing air-guitar to a song. You can never take the teenager out of man when it comes to rock n roll.
Just stumbled upon this and was blown away. Never knew that solo was hidden in the song. Rick is right, re-release this song and do the lead justice. I think it would hit again on the charts.
Wow, this brought a tear to my eye. I’m the same age as Rick and I also always loved this song and knew there was a ripping solo at the end, it was pure catharsis to finally hear it as it should have been and have it done justice after all these years
The solo on Minstrel Gigilo is simply amazing. I never knew Christopher Cross could play lead so shreddingly and passionately. The guy is in every sense of the phrase a musical genius.
Yes. Despite the low volume, I’ve always loved hearing that part of the song. I’ve heard both Christopher and album producer, Michael Omartian discuss the making of the album in interviews. Omartian was very much aware of how great a guitarist Chris was. Not to mention, Chris was intricately involved in the album’s recording. How the solo ended up in the background is a great question. I’d love to hear their take on it.
Holy cow, Rick. Not only are YOU one of the truly great underrated lead guitarists - your ear is incredible. I feel smarter just by watching you dissect stuff. Keep up the good work! Much love from sunny Portland, Maine
I could not agree more. In fact, were I ever so lucky as to be able to record some material, Rick, is the guy I'd call to produce and play on the record
Back in the day I BURNED THRU THREE LPs trying to learn that solo and NEVER quite got it. Thank you Rick for allowing the world to FINALLY hear what a KILLER Guitarist Chris is.
I've read many years ago in an interview with C. Cross, that he always thought, he was not a very good guitar player. Because he had less self-confidence at that time. So he asked Steve Lukather to play the solo in this track too. But Steve recognized early, how good Christopher really was. And so he encouraged him to play the solo by himself. And as we all hear...he was sooo right. Christopher ist so damned good and so underrated for his guitar playing. He should do more this way...
I mean, he is obviously an amazing musician but he is hanging with epic musicians. It's hard on the ego sometimes, I would imagine. George Harrison was a very good guitar player but in the studio with Clapton, I'm sure he felt the same way as Christopher Cross mentions.
I actually do think that outro guitar solo was intentionally meant to sound the way it does all buried with the Ba Da Da Da Bop Bop Bop Bah's. I've been hearing the song for decades and I've always known that outro solo is there. I think Cross intentionally had it mixed that way. The main seller of the song is the "Ba Da Da Da" parts, so they wanted just THAT to be the part that stands out. I'll bet anyone who bought the single or album bought it primarily for the Ba Da Da Da parts.
@@skierpage Well, this was the era of soft pop like The Carpenters and the BeeGees. I actually like the way the outro solo sounds. Maybe I can hear it better than most people. I can hear stuff that's hard for other people to pick up. I can write a long list of songs everyone knows in which I can actually hear the sound engineers talking or chatting.
I've ALWAYS thought that there was an amazing guitar solo buried in there. The vocals are pushed way in front during that part. This is awesome. I'm going to listen to this over and over again!
Thank you Rick, through your “What makes this song great?” Video series and your other videos I’ll never listen to music the same way again, and I mean this in a good way. Thank you for pushing me to be a more informed listener, instead of casual enjoyer. It is also helping me in my journey as a musician as I have recently taken up the piano again with clearer more focused and realistic goals for the next 2-3 years. Keep up the good work.
Another great video Rick - this stuff gets called yacht rock because the producers were too scared to dial up an electric solo like for fear of turning it into full-rock and losing their soft rock radio play. Anyhow, super impressed to find out that Christopher Cross had guitar chops like that. Thank you!
A very good point. A lot of what made yacht rock yacht rock were the smoothed out mixes that were clean and clear but lacked punch and masked the musical intricacies
Speaking of being scared of solos, see if you can find an original version of Charlie Dore’s “Pilot Of The Airwaves” … the radio edit completely cuts the amazing outro solo in favour of repeating the acapella intro/chorus. The bass work in this track is standout too. An underrated track of this late 70’s/early 80’s era that didn’t even break the Billboard top 10.
Christopher Cross is ace. I remember my parents listening to him when I was a kid. I revisited his music about a year ago and couldn't believe how harmonically rich and interesting it is. Really great stuff. I am really into the Live in Paris album.
I was playing in a local band and about to graduate High School when this song came out. Our bass player walks up to me one day during lunch in the cafeteria and asked if i'd heard the "Criss Cross" song and we both commented at the same time --- why on the earth is the guitar solo buried under everything at the end??? KILLER SOLO!!!
Hey Rick! I was a Freshman in high school, and truthfully, this was the reason I loved Christopher Cross. This solo. You are 100% correct. It was not loud enough in the mix. It was loud enough to know the guy could jam. Hard as it was to hear, I loved hearing that solo on the song outro. And Rick, again, your enthusiasm shine through Brother. Reminds me of me !!!!
I, literally, didn't realize there even was a guitar solo on one of my all-time favorite songs - Ride Like the Wind. Rick's videos are like a man walking you into your own house and showing you the back of the wardrobe you didn't see, all the years you lived there... and this incredible world behind it!
Most people loved Christopher's Cross voice and missed his strings talent, so amazing and double guitar. Badass all the way, freaking awesome. 👌👌👌🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼💖💖💖 Always loved his super awesome guitar strings, he floated with his fingers, beautiful 👌👌💜💜💜💜
Right?!?!? While listening to the Christmas concert that Charles Cornell released last week I kept hearing Rick in my head going "WOOOOOO!!!! MMMMMM!!!".
They're the best things ever, his delight and head bobbing and wide eyes are just a joy, makes me smile everytime. The joy of "feeling" the music with your soul.. Priceless..
Yacht rock is making a comeback, people are just now understanding this great slew of ultra-smooth records from the late 70’s and 80’s and they really pop up against the rest.
Yeah, I never thought of the term yacht rock as being derogatory, it just evokes a mood. It's resurgence took me by surprise because even though I was a classic rock guy this music was in my blind spot because of it's mellow nature. Maybe I just had to grow up a bit to appreciate it.
This was a great video. I absolutely love how you revealed this insane guitar part. A local musician years ahead of me I used to work with on the music circuit briefly owned a Les Paul that once belonged to Christopher. This was years ago and I only somewhat recently became aware of Cross being such a monster player.....
Love how Rick’s hand keeps reaching for the space bar to pause the music but his brain keeps pulling it back because he hasn’t finished grooving to the guitar solo yet! Ride Like the wind has been a long time favourite of mine and I often listen to the album when I’m in the bath. On my slightly tinny Bluetooth speaker the guitar solo sticks out a lot more so I’ve always enjoyed it. But listening on a proper setup, the solo gets drowned out. Could be that the record was mixed to sound good when listened to in a 1970s car!
I just corresponded with the drummer on this track, Tommy Taylor. He actually posted a comment on the original post, discussing the details of the mix, engineering, etc.
Funny enough I've actually known this for awhile lol. As a guitar player I heard that solo for the first time in "Ride Like The Wind" and immediately cranked it up to hear it better. Dude can shred for sure. Has an almost Steely Dan vibe to it.
Steely Dan invited him to play with them and he declined. Had he navigated his solo career a bit differently by featuring his guitar playing he likely would've had a very different and more successful career.
I had never heard the term Yacht Rock before but now that I look back it's fitting. I remember when this album came out, my mother played it all of the time. I always thought of it as a notch above what us kids were listening to at the time (Queen, Styx, Van Halen, AC/DC....) It just oozed with class.. Some of the other song I remember from this era are Steal Away and Hot Rod Hearts by Robbie Dupree, Let My Love Open the Door by Pete Townsend, The Tide is High by Blondie, Jane by Jefferson Starship, Romeo's Tune by Steve Forbet, Biggest Part of Me by Ambrosia... It was was a great time for top 40
I remember buying the album back in the day when Chris released his album. Like you and many others I was straining to hear that awesome guitar. I had to listen to it with a cheap pair of headphones. Later that week I was in the record store that I bought the album at, and the guy that ran it told me to go into the booth that record stores once had. Well he plugged in a top tier set of headphones and even with that solo relegated to the background I was able to hear those amazing licks and riffs. When I was a young kid learning the piano, my teacher also taught me how to train my ears to focus in on the piano. Fast forward to just a couple of years later I found my older brother's trumpet in the attic, and found that I was able to play it by ear. So got my dad's old "DO NOT TOUCH" 88s of big band era music and started picking out the trumpets to hone my ability to play. Fast forward to January 1980 and I'm in that sound booth. My 19yr old brain kept screaming WHYYYYYYY! Why would they hide that amazingly brilliant, not mention talented guitar solo in the background of that record. Imagine how many more 45s of just that song would've been sold, and how many more records and cassettes of his album that would've been sold based on that song. To this day I blame the engineers and producers of his album for shoddy work. There was another word I wanted to use that's spelled similar. I also hate that yacht rock moniker. Why did it, does it, have to be so many different genres of rock. It's all rock & roll man, if you dig it, you dig it. If you don't then f__k you man! Once said by a great rock legend. And I'll leave it at that. ✌🏽&🤟🏽
Oh man … so pleased you did this. I have waited YEARS and YEARS to hear that !!! I need a love ears emoji… I would strain as a teenager to listen to this very solo, only ever picking up bits n hints of it coming through. I’m so stoked to have finally heard this. Thank you Rick for your keen sense of appreciation and your wonderful infectious enthusiasm.
I have seen Christopher Cross live probably five times in the last six years. I went the first time because one of my best friends from high school has been Cross' touring sax player for many years. I went nearly kicking and screaming the first time, but now I wish he came around more often because, as Rick notes, Cross is an amazing and tremendously underrated guitarist. And this song always, ALWAYS rocks! Well done, Rick Beato.
I’ve got one for you. The outro solo to “Year of the Knife” by Tears for Fears played by Robbie McIntosh.. The bits you can hear are just killin! But it’s pretty buried in the mix and it drives me crazy.
You’re a genius Rick . And a pioneer - a pioneer of a dozen things all centered around keeping great music alive and educating willful people to the next level. Whether it’s casual listener to a more advanced listener or a moderately advanced listener to a technical listener Kudos to you Happy new year 👍🏻👍🏻
I'm stunned! I had NO idea Christopher Cross was such a great guitarist. I remember "Sailing." A beautiful song that was #1 all over the world and won a million awards. Then I remember seeing him being filmed with his band before a show and thought "he looks as high as a kite." and never heard much about him after that. I'm so glad I learned so much more about him. Great video Rick!
I had the good fortune of seeing Mr. Cross’ 40th Anniversary concert tour of his first album 2 nights ago in NH. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. His last song before the encore was Ride Like the Wind. Everyone was on their feet and loving it, but unfortunately, the solo was was not at the level Rick would recommend. Armed with the knowledge of this video, I knew what to listen for and everyone else must have also seen this video, because as soon as he started in on it, it went nuts in the audience! His encore song was “Laura” and he sang it almost a cappella. Slight accompaniment from the pianist. Sublime! His singers and band mates were also superb. Long winded, I know.
Saw him open for Fleetwood Mac in Portland, OR right after the single hit the airwaves and liked the song straight away, but my jaw dropped when he went into the solo. Spot on, Rick, very Terry Kath, another monster whose talent remains unknown to any but fellow guitarists. The channel is a real joy, Rick. I talk back to you when watching the vids and my honey comes into the room to see who came into our house without her knowing!
Hey man - love your channel. I thankfully knew Chet Himes who engineered this record and he told me the story about the Ride Like the Wind solo. They thought a jamming solo was perfect for the end of the song. They had Eric Johnson take a few passes. They told Eric to rip out, but for whatever reason, Eric wasn't quite on the same page and they didn't really get the solo they wanted. So, Chet told Christopher to go in and play a solo like they had in mind. So that's Christopher Cross basically off the cuff I guess kind of trying to describe to EJ exactly what they had in mind, and it was so good! One of those beautiful studio moments that just happens. Kind of a neat side story was that Chet told me that the studio was dark when he took the solo, and all he could see was Christopher Cross' boots. Which, being it's Ride Like the Wind, just seeing his boots while he's ripping this solo out - that's pretty cool in its own right. Again, love all that you do but, as for "proper volume" -- Chet was an absolutely incredible engineer. Impeccable. And a very humble, sweet guy. You know that there were different formats - that was likely mixed for the AM radio format at the time. So the guitar was going to be lower. When you listen closely, you can tell pushes the fader up at least 3 db (maybe even more) after Chris says "Gonna Ride like the Wind" at about the 3:38 mark for about 10 seconds. Again, I'm a huge fan of yours, but you surely know that there are hundreds of ways to mix a song, and the label was probably targeting this for AM radio to compete for that airtime rather than FM for Kiss and Journey. So the guitar solo wasn't the A#1 thing they were trying to get across, as awesome as it was. The record as a whole sounds incredible.
Of course there are different ways to mix music, and there are different ways to make a pizza. But this amazing solo was hidden, dude. That's objectively true. How one feels about that can be subjective, but a LOT of us think it should have been done differently. Everyone can make a mistake.
I have to say, I think you're right that Chet Himes nailed it. The vocal vamp is iconic and the rhythm of it is off-kilter but totally magical. The guitar solo on the other hand is like blind-drunk pentatonic 70s riff-rock. I'd love to hear what Eric Johnson did there--he probably actually played along with the song! That being said, I think the way CC's solo pokes in and out the mix gives the whole section a vibe--without it it would be repetitive (and it's so perfectly executed almost "programmed"), but with it, the whole thing comes to life. So, Himes: right, and Beato I love you, but wrong this time! :)
![Christopher Cross Mini Documentary [ABC News 20/20 Feature with Steven Fox]](/img/n.gif)
For many years I made my living as a sound engineer. I did monitors for some of your favorites bands and guitar players. During that time I got up close and intimate with their guitar rigs, mic’d them up and got to solo them I’m my head phones. The best guitar tone I ever heard was Christopher Cross, and he lived up to it with his playing…and I am a guitar player myself. Christopher Cross is criminally under rated as a guitar player
Trivia question for those that need a free beer. Christopher Cross was born Christopher Geppert, living in San Antonio. Deep Purple came to town and their guitar player became ill, and for this one concert young Christopher Geppert stepped in and played all the Deep Purple songs with the rest of the band. I wish there was a recording of it.
@@ldolphin34 No way! That's amazing
I think the best engineers are musicians. A person can be a technical wiz, but what good is it if the music does not crank! I am often amazed at internationally televised music events where the sound person seems to be taking a vaction. My take is that a good sound tech is like a conductor of an orchestra; having the same dynamic is simply boring!
@Mike America I was in a band that opened for Aaron Neville and Rose Royce (the most talented, incredible band I have ever heard!) in Golden Gate Park, San Fransicso; it looked like an ocean of people! Yet, the greatest thrill of my life is to know Christ. Jesus Christ is the light of the world.
I'm sure I remember Christopher Cross's guitar solo being much louder and clearer when Christopher performed Ride Like the Wind at a Michael McDonald Concert. But for some reason the studio version seems to emphasize the vocals, like they wanted to drown out the guitar work.
Christopher Cross wrote and played some of the most beautiful and peaceful music ever. "Sailing" is such a masterpiece of a song
Yes indeed i remember when my mom bought the Albums she would play music for family when they visited but she Djed as well so she always bought two Albums. I grew up listening to everything my grandfather was a true to life African American cowboy and he always listened to country my oldest brother loved Def leopard and the likes i love music and I remember when she got home with the albums she let me pick any song since it was my 12th birthday and not even knowing I asked her to play the number 8 and to this day I love the song much. It just reminds me of her beautiful smile. She passed away five years later. 😢
Dam!!!!
@alienígena 🤣🤣🤣🤣👍
ABSOLUTELY!! I gave you a thumbs up as You wrote your comment quite simply & short.. yet so strongly to the point & truth of Christopher's work!! I must say that at the time of it's release, and it's "ownership of the airwaves".. it was overpoweringly ubiquitous(!!).. my Mother even played it over & over &.. and it just wasn't my style!! And tho' I couldn't escape it.. I've always loved that solo he played that was sooo' hidden in the mix on "Ride Like The Wind"!! Now that I've broadened my musical tastes.. and I've come to appreciate artists I once passed on.. I've added Christopher's work of musical genius to my rotation!! I truly enjoy what He's given to the "World of Music".. Beautiful, Beautiful stuff!!
Listened to Christopher Cross continuously when my girlfriend dumped me in high school 😢
Rick, tonight we saw Christopher Cross at Epcot and he ended with this song - of course. And yes, the guitar solo was definitely up in the mix. So I stopped by the tech guys and spoke with Dave Swanson, who was on the mixing board. I asked him if he was aware of this video...and he was! He said he DEFINITELY keeps Christopher's solo up at the end of this song...and I told him we came specifically to see that solo...we had a good laugh. You're doing great work on your channel...and the WORK you put in is obvious. This is not happening by accident. Nice job!
I agree with you. Great solo and precious work of Rick.
epcot what a disappointment. grow up. look into disney not something to ever get your kids into. god forbid adult still following this demonic corpse-oration
cool story!!!🙌🏾😄
Who else is back here after watching the Chris Cross interview all the way through? I love the lead isolated, on a 59 LP no less. What a treasure. Dam thats good.
No pedals, right in to a red hot amp. So damn good.
yes!
LOL, guilty! I HAD to come back and see this and then re-watch that amazing interview
Guilty here too and also just having listened to my entire "Christopher Cross" LP. Just fantastic...
@@markahles5967 I know right? I could listen to his stories all night, Rick asks such great questions doesn't he? Plus you can see he is in the conversation not like me trying to think of what Im going to say next hahaha.
Watching Rick play air guitar with a guitar in his hands is the best thing ever.
Ahahahahahahaha. Seeing him enjoying himself is all that matters to me but you're right. Great observation!!
Watching Rick play guitar with a guitar in his hands is the best thing ever.
And then the "old guy" goes and plays it note perfect anyway. Rick is the best!
Rick's love of music is priceless
He really enjoys and us with him
I used to work with a guy who toured with Christopher Cross in the sound crew. He always spoke highly of Mr. Cross, and said he was very pleasant. It's nice when talented people turn out to be good people as well... :)
I used to go out with a nurse who had him as a patient. She told him I was a fan and he did an impromptu concert on the ward for the nurses and other patients and played my favourite song of his!
I doubt that really happened
No it didn't
You can just tell by his songs. They are all sweet and sentimental.
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 I wish I had the video to show you. It was exactly that!
Former radio station Program Director here... my speculation is the track was intended for the "Adult Contemporary" format. Intense guitar solos could keep a song off the air, or day-parted till after 8 PM. Christopher Cross' successes like "Sailing", "Arthur's Theme", "Laura", etc. were all right in the pocket for the A/C era.
I'm stunned he can play guitar at that level. Michael Omartian, as producer, possibly made the decision a Christopher Cross voice was the unique instrument vs trying to launch another guitar player.
I heard this song many times while sitting in the doctor's office waiting room. I doubt that would have been the case had the guitar solo been turned up.
That was my guess when i listened to it! That the low guitar was a producer decision to fit the trend of the time. It's a shame but i get the point.
Nailed it. Some suit probably heard it and thought it would scare my audience at Stereo 100.3fm, Marquette’s Music Leader.
We played Drake Chenault reel to reels, if that rings a bell.
And I haven’t heard the term “day-parted” in a long long time.
@@JamieSmith-fz2mz And I haven't thought about Drake Chenault in a long time either. Let's hear it for sec tones and backtiming!
@@PZBrooklyn No, I think he's bang on. Adult contemporary was definitely a thing in the 70's. Think bands like Seals and Crofts, or songs like Baby Come Back. Part of the AM top 40 pop station staples, along with Disco and Soul and pop ballads. It was actually harder to get what we think of as Classic Rock onto the airwaves in those days, outside of the FM album oriented rock stations like Q107 or Chum FM in Toronto. Chum FM is a pop station now, but it wasn't when DJ's like Rick Ringer were doing hour and a half interviews with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee as release parties for albums like Hemispheres and Permanent Waves. But none of that made it onto the big AM pop stations. That's why those classic rock bands had so few big singles.
Ironically, by the early '80's, the FM album oriented rock stations were bigger by far than the fast fading AM top 40 stations. LOL.
Dude, THANK YOU. I was a teen when Ride Like the Wind came out. I would obsess over that solo and I've played it hundreds of times always aching to hear it properly. What a treat, can't thank you enough.
That is a blistering solo! I had no idea that was Christopher Cross himself playing it! My utmost respect to the man 44 years later!
Absolutely , I had no idea either .
Yeah, You & Myself and many, many, Other's are finally givin' CC' His respect.. decades later!! It perplexes Being that I'd picked up on the now famous "Buried Solo" right away, I just fig'd it was some Hot Shot Studio Rat that laid those nasty licks down.. And anyone that says they knew back then, that it was CC' Himself rippin' up that solo.. is fulla' 💩.. Blatantly at that!!
Christopher 43 years later; Yeah I was impressed by myself.
He's always been a very good lead guitarist
@@LeadMe2TheBliss
Well'ph.. This chat here'bout Mr. Cross.. has gone waaaay' far, far, beyond thee' Obvi' @this point.. Kinda' like, Myself, or anybody else, adding that Mr. Cross won 4 outta' thee' 6 Grammy's He was nominated for.. and that "if" He were a baseball player.. He'd be hitting at a highly impressive clip of
.550+ Anything NEW out there?
I've always appreciated Ride Like The Wind as a great song and loved that outro solo but would've NEVER guessed it to be Christopher Cross himself, but always assumed it was just some uncredited studio player. Amazing playing if you ask me. I've got a newfound respect for Cross.
Shoulda been turned up im the mix
@@ThisisStephennn:
That´s for sure. Rockin´ song, great guitar work.
Ah, not sure if you've seen it, but you get to see Cross playing that outro in the official Promo Vid for the song. Again though, sound-wise it is similarly quite subdued in the overall mix.
Look for the live version on youtube where you can see him play it.
I can't believe it never occurred to me how odd a choice it was for it to be mixed so low... Especially with it being his own solo, on his own record!
Always appreciated what i could hear of it though lol
Holy crap... I almost went my whole life without knowing this. When you put the lead at the proper volume it was fantastic.
Were you deaf? The only thing I hated about that song when it came out was that the guitar wasn't mixed up correctly and that they didn't release an extended version with all the outro guitar riffs that clearly were HoT AF!
Same here. And I've been around since Heck was a pup.
7:59 woah!
I heard Ride Like The Wind, on a Huffy bicycle commercial on TV. Fell in love with the song instantly. And my dad bought me a Huffy Pro Thunder BMX, great times!
All that Yacht Rock stuff is top tier musicianship. Even if you don’t dig it you have to admit they are some highly competent professionals.
They were real musicians and masters at it.They dont exist in todays annoying unmusic.its really sad...
Yacht rock is a silly name for such great music.
@@dansavik7137 Nah it’s cool. I like the tongue in cheekness of it. A lot of it is great music though. Steely Dan might be one of the greatest American bands ever.
plus the chords are usually jazzier and the pieces often contain some clever modulations and so on
@@GaZonk100 i was trying to learn some Ambrosia on guitar and it gave me hard time,it was frustrating ....
Rick's enthusiasm when someone is ripping it up is always so infectious! Cross was gettin' it!
Rick, you should get Christopher on and discuss this. I'd love hear his thoughts on how this came about. Definitely one of my favorite albums of all-time.
Tricky! That my good sir is a understatement! The fact that you can follow it is good on you sir!
I follow him on his socials and he seems quite accessible. Sweet guy! Go for it! 😇
I second that motion! 👍
Adding a vote here for this. Please please follow up. You could even do a really cool series on producer and artist choices made in the studio on some of these songs and it would be awesome, especially if you could get guests in to talk about the experience. The artistic process is fascinating to a lot of people.
Cross interview fer sure with a discussion on the 'Sailing' tuning.
Wow, wow, wow. Not only because of the Chris Cross solo but your having given it the attention it deserves. Love this episode, Mr. Beato.
I really hope Chris sees this and gets the appreciation he deserves. Sounds great at the proper level! LOVE this tune and "Yacht Rock"! No shame about that here.
I really hope Chris sees this and mends fences with Tommy and co.... It's never too late...make it so ! ❤️
He just twitted about this. 🤣
Yacht Rock is life!!! If you've never seen the series put up on TH-cam about 12 years ago, it's so awesome and hilarious. Michael McDonald was asked if he'd seen it during an interview and he's a fan.
I loved this album when it came out and I still do. Chris rock's!
Actually, Christopher was THE local guitar hero in San Antonio during the late 60s early 70s. He had a Prog rock band sort of, called the Flash. But when I finally did get out and hear him, it had become a power trio. He covered the entire Cream catalog, solos practically note for note and all. (I’m sure you can notice the Clapton in his solo). he was the only guy in town that had all the stuff nailed, the right rigs with Marshalls and dual showman stacks. I think they also covered some Led Zeppelin if I recall correctly. Plus, he was the band’s lead singer (grab that crotch!).
You gotta admire the guys wisdom and discipline for forsaking all of that to focus on songwriting, and market testing anything he wrote with labels until he finally came out with the right mix, hitting the market at just the right point, that sliver of time when “classic rock“ was starting to get a little old (the rationale, I’m sure, behind this marginalized solo), but MAINLY…the short era right before punk and MTV came in. Right up there he was, along with Michael McDonald and the other aforementioned artists.
I love the entire "yacht rock" genre for two reasons. 1) it reminds me of being in my parents car listening to AM radio in the late 70s and 2) if you really listen to many of these bands they contain some of the jazziest-rock guitar work of all time. Really prog stuff blended with balls-out rock. Very seldom do you hear anything like that now.
What an apt description...so much of the deeper yacht stuff by Gino Vannelli, Pages, Toto, Airplay, Manhattan Transfer, Nielsen/Pearson, etc. is *super* fusiony/proggy muso oriented. It's like pop for nerd musicians!
Want to know how great "yatch rock" really is? Listen through a set of quality headphones and get blown away.
What is yacht rock ?
@@joetheplummer8128 it's a more recent and mildly depreciative name given to a type of soft adult oriented rock popular in the 70's to 80's that was very smooth, melodic, relaxing with strong jazz and or soft rnb influences, slick and well produced and easy on the ear, kinda music you may picture a yuppie back then listening to on his yatch hifi system with a cigar and brandy and eye candy close by. "Sailing" by Christopher Cross and "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Croft are considered two of the ultimate yatch rock songs. Other artistes are Player, Poco, Rupert Holmes, Gino Vanelli, Al Jarreau, Ambrosia, Doobie Bros, Michael McDonald, Eric Carmen, Steely Dan etc
I have literally never heard the Doobie Bros referred to as yacht rock until this video. I also didn't know people thought of Steely Dan was a yacht rock band either. Christopher Cross DEFINITELY fit the bill though. I think of Sailing as one of THE quintessential "80's" songs. Also he has a song called All Right that seriously sounds like it could have been the theme song to an 80's sitcom.
Can we say Christopher Cross is one of thee most underrated guitarists ever? That is indeed a killer solo.
he played with deep purple in 1970 filling up for a sick Blackmore, go figure...
@@backslash68 Yes, I heard CC talking about that in various interviews. The shame is that when he asked the Purple guys some time later about it, they flat-out denied that it had happened. Listening to the isolated solo in Rick's video, you can hear that CC certainly had the chops and the flair to have been an excellent stand-in .
@Carl Marjeux no, the solo on ride like the wind is by Cross. Google it - you will find an interview with the original record producer confirming that.
@Carl Marjeux Nope. Incorrect. It is Christopher Cross on that particular solo.
no. we can't. it's a dumb comment.
Just finished watching ur Cristopher Cross interview - wow, what an amazing guy! He was ideally positioned in a time/history to have toured with Zeppelin, filled in for Deep Purple guitarist, knew and grew up with Eric Johnson, knew and played/recorded with Toto and Larry Carlton, was best friends with amp builder Howard Dumble of Dumble Amps, knew Billy Gibbons personally, knew Joni Mitchell personally and Bonnie Raitt. Met Stevie and Played SRV guitar
But still humble.
I've seen Christopher play this solo and many of the others described here live and I was totally stunned. No doubt an incredibly underrated guitarist who got far more notoriety because of his amazing vocals.
Makes it look REALLY easy too.
Saw him in Atlanta, and yeah, that's when I realized, "Damn, this dude can shred."
I'm a big fan of this channel. It so great to see a CC piece like this. Having been one of Christopher's engineers for many years I have to say there is so much amazing guitar work on all the albums in the catalog. For pure melody I'm really fond of the solo on "Curled Around the World" from Walking In Avalon. I also love Chris' meticulous acoustic fingerpicking work on the Christmas album and others. Also, I texted CC about this video so he has seen it.
I wonder what his thoughts on it are.
No! What records?
How did this get so buried like that?!
@@JerboFotius He may not know: he started working with Cross towards the end of the 20th century.
@@burningoldsage4012 I didn't imagine it was his doing, but just curious if he's got any insight into the mixing
I didn't even know there WAS a solo in that song! Let alone a shredder like that!
Rick has an amazing way of commenting on things, like he's with a group of friends drinking beer. He is magnificently entertaining, believable, and friendly to anyone who listens.
Well said!
Agree!
8:11 ...waooh!
9:24 !
Exactly 100% spot on. Like hanging out with a very good, articulate, and well informed buddy!
I love his enthusiasm!
Eric’s tone, his attack, those delicious legato runs are instantly recognizable.
There is some killer guitar playing on Christopher’s debut album. Larry and Eric, and yet I didn’t have any idea that Christopher played this lead. I’ve always liked his music, but now I have to pick up this debut album.
You cost me so much money, Rick! And I know I’m not the only one.
I never knew that Christopher Cross was a guitarist of any note. I thought he was a singer songwriter who just strummed an acoustic. You learn something new every day. Well, you do on Rick's channel anyway.
He played a free show in Woodstock GA this past September, and I was free, so I went and checked it out, and same. I didn't know until then that he's quite a good lead guitar player. Always assumed it was someone else.
Chris plays all the guitar solos in his live shows. "Ride Like The Wind" was one of the few tunes in the early days Chris recorded his own solo on the original recording.
Me too!
He supposedly filled in for a sick Richie Blackmore on tour once.
Early on I saw him with a...Fender 6/12 double neck ! Pretty cool !
It always makes me so happy to watch the pure enthusiasm Rick shows, as he both discovers the gems-within-a-gem, and then shares that discovery with all of us! Pure Joy, right there! Thank you, Rick!
You know when you get the Rick Beato "Wooooo" during a piece of music you're really on to something good 🤘🏻🤘🏻
He needs Ric Flair to guest for a woo-off
Rick plays air guitar **whilst wearing a guitar**
A true gift to humanity in this video. Thank you for your service, Rick.
I was thinking, "I can hear the solo", but when you turned it up I could really hear what I was missing! It almost becomes like a completely different song. More rockin!!!
Which was OFF LIMITS in 1979!
I could always hear it and the edginess of the recording drew my attention. Great to have rick shine the light on a masterful solo. The remainder of CC's hits were fluff.
They should release Rick's version. Hearing "ride like the wind" in the background during the solo is badass
I've seen him live at least 8 times and when he plays this solo, I'm always blown away. Like everyone else, I never heard the solo on the record. When he does it live it's even better than what he did on the record. He never really got his due, but for some of us, we've been fans for years and love all of his albums. Check out his work with his band Freedonia. Sublime!
I love watching the interview with Christopher Cross today. He's part of my musical foundation that can never be taken away!
Love Jamel's channel. Glad that even Rick Beato can be inspired to check out a tune after seeing one of his reactions.
Fan of both your channels
2 thumbs up...Jamal has really grown that channel.
When worlds collide
J is hi on my radar too
I am a fan of Jamel too…I even bought a couple of his T-shirts!
Playing "air guitar" while holding an actual real guitar. Gotta love Rick's enthusiasm! (lol) So many of these hit songs during the mid to late seventies and into the early 80's were made during the era of the LA session musician. Guys like Lukather, Carlton, Robben Ford, Jay Graydon, etc. became the hottest commodities in studio production, so it wouldn't be unusual to have these poppy songs with ripping guitar solos that, like this one, might get overlooked if you weren't paying attention. But I had no idea Cross was playing this one himself! It's a really interesting period for music.
THANK YOU for shining a light on this epic, underappreciated, incredible guitar solo that I used to crank up as far as the volume knob would go driving up California Interstate 5 in January 1980. Christopher Cross NEVER got the respect and admiration he deserved but a LOT of us knew how he could slay a fret board. Props to you, Rick, for recognizing that too.
That solo was one of the things that inspired me to become a working musician. It still inspires me today.
I'm not sure about Cross 'never' getting respect or admiration. He actually won five Grammy Awards and an Oscar for Best Original Song, "Arthur's Theme", in 1981.
The first time I ever heard this tune that guitar solo immediately stood out to me, and I could never understand why it was hidden behind everything else. I tried for years to get my friends to listen to it and they wouldn't simply because it was Christopher Cross and he was too mellow, or cheesy, or whatever they thought. Now all these years later you have given me proof Rick Beato, and I'm directing all those same people to this video.
I’ve always loved this solo but could never really hear it. Rick you’re spot on for shining a light on the greatness of this work of art.
same!
My brother, born in '62, bought this album when it came out. I was born in '66, but we shared a room growing up. However, he suddenly died in 1980. I identify this song most with him, as I rocked out to it all the time around his sudden death. I always thought the same as you Rick, why is this incredible solo buried in the mix. I really appreciate your videos, but this one is really special for me for obvious reasons. I still think about him all the time. Thank you!
Finally! Someone's finally talking about how great this solo is. By the way, the whole album is killer. I've been a great Christopher Cross fan since I was a kid.
OK you took the words right out of my mouth. I was saying THESE EXACT WORDS to my husband not very long ago. I told him, just listen to this solo - really listen to it. It's unbelievably good, I don't even have the words to describe how perfect it is. What a massive talent... Thank you for putting this out there!
Watching your videos makes the casual listener a smarter listener. Its like watching a sports event with a great color commentator. I learn a ton from your videos!
Ya and you'd have to be a high-level player to see that. Love it!
I love Rick's genuine enthusiasm on these vids, and playing air guitar while he's holding a real guitar (which we know he can play) is just great.
Rick Beato is the music appreciation teacher I wish I had in school. I love discovering what makes all this great music so great, simplified so a non-musician can follow along.
I had the cassette tape and the album. I drove a 68 mustang fastback and I installed my own cassette player and played the songs on this album for years. I knew every word and I can still remember the music in my head, every note. I'm amazed by the power of music.
The entire debut album of Christopher Cross is one of the greatest albums of that time period. Every track fantastic!
I got this album in vinyl for $1 in 1990 listened to it hundreds of times.. best $1 I’ve ever spent.
Yep. I grew up listening to this stuff. Had all of his albums. Never realized until today that some of my favorite musicians played on that album. Larry Carlton is one of my all-time favorites. He played on so many tracks I never knew he played on. Freaking amazing.
yes you re right fantastic album
Just found this LP in my garage 😯
One of the first albums I ever owned, I was 9. lol
This is the kind of thing that keeps bringing me back to Rick's videos. He features the hidden gems in great songs that would otherwise be lost in the "noise" of history.
Rick, the way you communicate with your audience makes it feel like we're sitting right there with you. Your passion for the music and the subject you're discussing really comes thru every time.
This is one of my very favorite songs . Thank you for this . I could always hear it . He is magical . His ability to play like this and his ability to sing like that is amazing . These guitar players never were given the credit that they deserve . I remember all these pieces . Amazing !!!Thank you for pointing it out. They made history and rightly so! They should never be forgotten.
Holy crap! THAT solo was hidden in that song??!! How did we miss that? This song really needs to be rereleased with that solo at proper volume. It completely takes it to the next level. Are there any other similarly hidden gems out there?
I would subscribe to the channel that showed hidden gems like this. I may start one! I'd probably just showcase lesser-known songs I think are awesome. Your comments are so spot on, I'd want you as a guest host!
@@Ppuffdiddleydangdoof JUST DO IT!
Toto - All Us Boys
You guys are deaf. I always heard that solo.
I always heard it. I just never listened to it. (If you know what I mean?)
I love it when a solo is able to blend melody, edginess and energy together so seamlessly. Such killer licks.
Agreed!
I watch a video called 'The Untold Truth, Ted Cassidy.'The actor that played Lurch on The Adam Family was a cool guy too.
@@peterismyfirstname2872 Eric Johnson is a huge Lurch fan....
The Terry Kath mentions nailed it down the best. It has that slight push to it that Kath displayed in every solo he played. Never knew Cross had it in him. Great stuff!
@Carl Marjeux Actually in Guitar Magazine 2001 in an interview, Eric said his solo DID NOT make it to the final cut, and that this was done by Chris. His only contribution was on Minstrel Gigolo.
@Carl Marjeux It has an EJ feel, but had a push to it that doesn't sound like EJ. I am glad Rick took the time to find the isolated track...as good as my ear is, I could not really hear everything that was happening. Pulling it out front changes the whole feel of the song.
@@SolosoundsNetwork Eric never tracked Ride Like the Wind.
I will admit that yes it is hard to hear the solo but I have always heard it. It is one of the huge factors in why I love the song so much. The entire song it's just like a wave of sound, it creates an atmosphere that only few other songs can compare.
Agreed. Sailing is another song like that. It's a wall of sound and emotion. Good stuff.
Problem is the vamping hits similar pitch too often and swallows alot of what he is doing so it almost disappears at times. Producer had a job to do and failed
Yeah everytime I hear this brilliant song I'm always waiting for that blistering guitar solo by Chris. To me it fits the song perfectly and I see no reason to lower the very textured and layered sound to accommodate it. Christopher Cross is probably known more for his singing because he's a great singer and has tons of hit songs because of it. You watch him perform live you'll see that he can really play. He certainly has nothing to prove. Not every musician/singer feels the need to flex all of the time. Nothing wrong with it and I'm not knocking it. He's simply known more for his impressive vocals.
This album came out when I was in high school. Between wearing out the vinyl and listening to this song on the radio likely several hundred of times, I have NEVER discerned the guitar solo. This was an amazing revelation. Thank you!
Saw Christopher Cross do an extended version of this solo live with his full band back in the mid 1980s, one of my very favorite guitar solos...
I saw a youtube of him live, probably from a bit later. Christopher Cross played a blazing solo. I thought of him as stummed guitar and sang (both quite well) on his sailboat. I didn't think he could shred.
Rick, you have completely unearthed a lost treasure! I've heard this song thousands of times since it's release--I grew up with it. Until now, that guitar solo was the most forgettable aspect of the song. You made it stand out as the highly memorable piece it truly is. Thank you!
I never even knew there was a solo in that song
He did the same thing with The Cars - Just What I Needed. There is guitar in that song that can barely be heard, guitar so tasty that now that I know it's there, I hear it every time and it makes that great song twice as good.
@@matthewpeterson3329 Did you know that Eliot Easton went on to play with Creedence Clearwater Revisited Band after leaving The Cars? A buddy I used to work with Tal Morris was his replacement when he (Elliot) left the band.
It's so cool to watch a highly skilled musician such as yourself doing air-guitar to a song. You can never take the teenager out of man when it comes to rock n roll.
Just stumbled upon this and was blown away. Never knew that solo was hidden in the song. Rick is right, re-release this song and do the lead justice. I think it would hit again on the charts.
I saw him play the lead last night. He's still can nail it.
Wow, this brought a tear to my eye. I’m the same age as Rick and I also always loved this song and knew there was a ripping solo at the end, it was pure catharsis to finally hear it as it should have been and have it done justice after all these years
Jamal’s channel is great. I don’t watch many “react videos” but his energy is infectious. Christopher Cross is from my hometown of San Antonio, Texas
i thought his name was Jamel
It is not much his reactions as his sunny personality. An incredible guy, with impeccable musical taste too.
@@La_sagne aka Jamal...😉
The solo on Minstrel Gigilo is simply amazing. I never knew Christopher Cross could play lead so shreddingly and passionately. The guy is in every sense of the phrase a musical genius.
however note that the lead guitar on Minstrel G. is by Eric Johnson ;-)
@@marccocofaber757 - Yes, I know. But CC himself is an incredible guitarist, too.
Yes. Despite the low volume, I’ve always loved hearing that part of the song. I’ve heard both Christopher and album producer, Michael Omartian discuss the making of the album in interviews. Omartian was very much aware of how great a guitarist Chris was. Not to mention, Chris was intricately involved in the album’s recording. How the solo ended up in the background is a great question. I’d love to hear their take on it.
Holy cow, Rick. Not only are YOU one of the truly great underrated lead guitarists - your ear is incredible. I feel smarter just by watching you dissect stuff. Keep up the good work! Much love from sunny Portland, Maine
I could not agree more. In fact, were I ever so lucky as to be able to record some material, Rick, is the guy I'd call to produce and play on the record
I'm also a fan of Jamal's reactions. Great solo from Christopher Cross. Assumed it was a session player until I saw a live recording.
Back in the day I BURNED THRU THREE LPs trying to learn that solo and NEVER quite got it.
Thank you Rick for allowing the world to FINALLY hear what a KILLER Guitarist Chris is.
I've read many years ago in an interview with C. Cross, that he always thought, he was not a very good guitar player. Because he had less self-confidence at that time. So he asked Steve Lukather to play the solo in this track too.
But Steve recognized early, how good Christopher really was. And so he encouraged him to play the solo by himself. And as we all hear...he was sooo right. Christopher ist so damned good and so underrated for his guitar playing. He should do more this way...
I mean, he is obviously an amazing musician but he is hanging with epic musicians. It's hard on the ego sometimes, I would imagine. George Harrison was a very good guitar player but in the studio with Clapton, I'm sure he felt the same way as Christopher Cross mentions.
This was excellent. Totally missed the solo in this song. Christopher Cross, if you're reading this, please have Rick go back and remix this.
Rick your awesome!!!! Christopher Cross is a very underrated artist.
Agree with that Randy. 👌
I actually do think that outro guitar solo was intentionally meant to sound the way it does all buried with the Ba Da Da Da Bop Bop Bop Bah's. I've been hearing the song for decades and I've always known that outro solo is there. I think Cross intentionally had it mixed that way. The main seller of the song is the "Ba Da Da Da" parts, so they wanted just THAT to be the part that stands out. I'll bet anyone who bought the single or album bought it primarily for the Ba Da Da Da parts.
@@skierpage Well, this was the era of soft pop like The Carpenters and the BeeGees. I actually like the way the outro solo sounds. Maybe I can hear it better than most people. I can hear stuff that's hard for other people to pick up. I can write a long list of songs everyone knows in which I can actually hear the sound engineers talking or chatting.
@@skierpage My money is on Michael Omartian as he knew his intended market for Christopher Cross.
Christopher Cross once filled in for Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple for one gig in 1970, the guy can play for sure.
Now that is some cool, deep trivia.
Richie was hurt/sick or just moody?
Flu-shot incident.
@@magnuszetterqvist5936I believe he was actually ill from food poisoning. There weren't any Flu Shots in those days.
That s some serious stuf!!! Imagine that!!!
Oh yeah? When?
I've ALWAYS thought that there was an amazing guitar solo buried in there. The vocals are pushed way in front during that part. This is awesome. I'm going to listen to this over and over again!
Thank you Rick, through your “What makes this song great?” Video series and your other videos I’ll never listen to music the same way again, and I mean this in a good way. Thank you for pushing me to be a more informed listener, instead of casual enjoyer. It is also helping me in my journey as a musician as I have recently taken up the piano again with clearer more focused and realistic goals for the next 2-3 years. Keep up the good work.
Another great video Rick - this stuff gets called yacht rock because the producers were too scared to dial up an electric solo like for fear of turning it into full-rock and losing their soft rock radio play. Anyhow, super impressed to find out that Christopher Cross had guitar chops like that. Thank you!
A very good point. A lot of what made yacht rock yacht rock were the smoothed out mixes that were clean and clear but lacked punch and masked the musical intricacies
I should say they have good percussive punch but no hard and heavy guitar
Speaking of being scared of solos, see if you can find an original version of Charlie Dore’s “Pilot Of The Airwaves” … the radio edit completely cuts the amazing outro solo in favour of repeating the acapella intro/chorus. The bass work in this track is standout too. An underrated track of this late 70’s/early 80’s era that didn’t even break the Billboard top 10.
Christopher Cross is ace. I remember my parents listening to him when I was a kid. I revisited his music about a year ago and couldn't believe how harmonically rich and interesting it is. Really great stuff. I am really into the Live in Paris album.
I was playing in a local band and about to graduate High School when this song came out. Our bass player walks up to me one day during lunch in the cafeteria and asked if i'd heard the "Criss Cross" song and we both commented at the same time --- why on the earth is the guitar solo buried under everything at the end??? KILLER SOLO!!!
Once again, Rick takes a song I thought I knew and makes me hear it and appreciate it in a totally new and better way.
Hey Rick! I was a Freshman in high school, and truthfully, this was the reason I loved Christopher Cross. This solo. You are 100% correct. It was not loud enough in the mix. It was loud enough to know the guy could jam. Hard as it was to hear, I loved hearing that solo on the song outro. And Rick, again, your enthusiasm shine through Brother. Reminds me of me !!!!
9:24
I, literally, didn't realize there even was a guitar solo on one of my all-time favorite songs - Ride Like the Wind. Rick's videos are like a man walking you into your own house and showing you the back of the wardrobe you didn't see, all the years you lived there... and this incredible world behind it!
Most people loved Christopher's Cross voice and missed his strings talent, so amazing and double guitar. Badass all the way, freaking awesome. 👌👌👌🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼💖💖💖 Always loved his super awesome guitar strings, he floated with his fingers, beautiful 👌👌💜💜💜💜
Man that is almost criminal to bury that solo did he not like his own playing cause wow that is a great piece of guitar work!
I have been repeating this since the '80s!
Christopher Cross got robbed. LOL
Engineer should have been sued
@@jonasbarbery7193 the engineer just tracked it (and well). whomever was in charge of the mix was the problem.
maybe going for what softer rock radio stations wanted to play at that time
Your facial expressions are gold.
🥸
Right?!?!? While listening to the Christmas concert that Charles Cornell released last week I kept hearing Rick in my head going "WOOOOOO!!!! MMMMMM!!!".
@@brianspenst1374 yes that was really funny ahah xD
They're the best things ever, his delight and head bobbing and wide eyes are just a joy, makes me smile everytime. The joy of "feeling" the music with your soul.. Priceless..
Thanks Mary!
Yacht rock is making a comeback, people are just now understanding this great slew of ultra-smooth records from the late 70’s and 80’s and they really pop up against the rest.
You call it yacht...we call it the best ever
lol all i see are young people dancing fortnite taunts in the streets some in the grocery
Love Yacht Rock!
Yeah, I never thought of the term yacht rock as being derogatory, it just evokes a mood. It's resurgence took me by surprise because even though I was a classic rock guy this music was in my blind spot because of it's mellow nature. Maybe I just had to grow up a bit to appreciate it.
Now I have a new term for a TH-cam search list. Yea .
Now I just have to be careful not to misspell Yacht as Yauht
This was a great video. I absolutely love how you revealed this insane guitar part. A local musician years ahead of me I used to work with on the music circuit briefly owned a Les Paul that once belonged to Christopher. This was years ago and I only somewhat recently became aware of Cross being such a monster player.....
Love how Rick’s hand keeps reaching for the space bar to pause the music but his brain keeps pulling it back because he hasn’t finished grooving to the guitar solo yet! Ride Like the wind has been a long time favourite of mine and I often listen to the album when I’m in the bath. On my slightly tinny Bluetooth speaker the guitar solo sticks out a lot more so I’ve always enjoyed it. But listening on a proper setup, the solo gets drowned out. Could be that the record was mixed to sound good when listened to in a 1970s car!
Rick has an amazing ear to be able to hear such a complex guitar solo and imitate it. Quite a gift.
Rick's humility is definitely, an endearing quality, not always seen in one so gifted.
I have always heard it . But yes … it is very low in the recording . He is totally right ; the solo should have been more prominent .
Should totally be remastered and rereleased. Chris was KILLING IT!
How do you think Chris felt. "WTF? They buried my Jam!!1!"
Hope they don't kill the dynamics and compress it to hell to overcompensate if they do remaster it tho
I just corresponded with the drummer on this track, Tommy Taylor. He actually posted a comment on the original post, discussing the details of the mix, engineering, etc.
Yacht Rock...i'd never heard that categorical classification! Makes me think of the theme song to "WKRP In Cincinnati" and "Love Boat."
Your knowledge, professionalism, positivity, and enthusiasm for music is unmatched. Thank you, sir, for your excellent content.
Funny enough I've actually known this for awhile lol. As a guitar player I heard that solo for the first time in "Ride Like The Wind" and immediately cranked it up to hear it better. Dude can shred for sure. Has an almost Steely Dan vibe to it.
Most producers would have amped up the licks, why it was underplayed don't know, even Steely Dan brought it up a bit
Steely Dan invited him to play with them and he declined. Had he navigated his solo career a bit differently by featuring his guitar playing he likely would've had a very different and more successful career.
Was thinking the exact same thing, definitely Dan-esque
I had never heard the term Yacht Rock before but now that I look back it's fitting. I remember when this album came out, my mother played it all of the time. I always thought of it as a notch above what us kids were listening to at the time (Queen, Styx, Van Halen, AC/DC....) It just oozed with class.. Some of the other song I remember from this era are Steal Away and Hot Rod Hearts by Robbie Dupree, Let My Love Open the Door by Pete Townsend, The Tide is High by Blondie, Jane by Jefferson Starship, Romeo's Tune by Steve Forbet, Biggest Part of Me by Ambrosia... It was was a great time for top 40
def yacht rock lol
Steal Away is phenomenal.....sooooo good.
I feel sad for you.
@@deansch6089 for who? Which one?
I believe Yacht Rock concept is from the song Sailing
I remember buying the album back in the day when Chris released his album. Like you and many others I was straining to hear that awesome guitar. I had to listen to it with a cheap pair of headphones. Later that week I was in the record store that I bought the album at, and the guy that ran it told me to go into the booth that record stores once had. Well he plugged in a top tier set of headphones and even with that solo relegated to the background I was able to hear those amazing licks and riffs.
When I was a young kid learning the piano, my teacher also taught me how to train my ears to focus in on the piano. Fast forward to just a couple of years later I found my older brother's trumpet in the attic, and found that I was able to play it by ear. So got my dad's old "DO NOT TOUCH" 88s of big band era music and started picking out the trumpets to hone my ability to play. Fast forward to January 1980 and I'm in that sound booth. My 19yr old brain kept screaming WHYYYYYYY! Why would they hide that amazingly brilliant, not mention talented guitar solo in the background of that record. Imagine how many more 45s of just that song would've been sold, and how many more records and cassettes of his album that would've been sold based on that song. To this day I blame the engineers and producers of his album for shoddy work. There was another word I wanted to use that's spelled similar. I also hate that yacht rock moniker. Why did it, does it, have to be so many different genres of rock. It's all rock & roll man, if you dig it, you dig it. If you don't then f__k you man! Once said by a great rock legend. And I'll leave it at that. ✌🏽&🤟🏽
Man, Rick's musical knowledge, talent and insights are second to none. This channel is a real treat!
There is a live version of "Ride like the Wind" on youtube and Chris rips into that solo nicely! Michael McDonald is playing and singing too.
The complete show is up there.
Oh man … so pleased you did this. I have waited YEARS and YEARS to hear that !!! I need a love ears emoji…
I would strain as a teenager to listen to this very solo, only ever picking up bits n hints of it coming through.
I’m so stoked to have finally heard this.
Thank you Rick for your keen sense of appreciation and your wonderful infectious enthusiasm.
I have seen Christopher Cross live probably five times in the last six years. I went the first time because one of my best friends from high school has been Cross' touring sax player for many years. I went nearly kicking and screaming the first time, but now I wish he came around more often because, as Rick notes, Cross is an amazing and tremendously underrated guitarist. And this song always, ALWAYS rocks! Well done, Rick Beato.
I am so delighted to hear you talk about this album Rick - one of my favourites! Up there with Fagen’s The Nightfly for me
I’ve got one for you. The outro solo to “Year of the Knife” by Tears for Fears played by Robbie McIntosh.. The bits you can hear are just killin! But it’s pretty buried in the mix and it drives me crazy.
One of my favorite TFF songs. 😍
@@TheMister123 Me too and I agree 100 %
Robbie McIntosh - a fabulous guitarist!
Mixed by Bob Clearmountain I think of all people! Haha
You’re a genius Rick . And a pioneer - a pioneer of a dozen things all centered around keeping great music alive and educating willful people to the next level. Whether it’s casual listener to a more advanced listener or a moderately advanced listener to a technical listener
Kudos to you
Happy new year 👍🏻👍🏻
I'm stunned! I had NO idea Christopher Cross was such a great guitarist. I remember "Sailing." A beautiful song that was #1 all over the world and won a million awards. Then I remember seeing him being filmed with his band before a show and thought "he looks as high as a kite." and never heard much about him after that. I'm so glad I learned so much more about him. Great video Rick!
I had the good fortune of seeing Mr. Cross’ 40th Anniversary concert tour of his first album 2 nights ago in NH. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. His last song before the encore was Ride Like the Wind. Everyone was on their feet and loving it, but unfortunately, the solo was was not at the level Rick would recommend.
Armed with the knowledge of this video, I knew what to listen for and everyone else must have also seen this video, because as soon as he started in on it, it went nuts in the audience! His encore song was “Laura” and he sang it almost a cappella. Slight accompaniment from the pianist. Sublime!
His singers and band mates were also superb. Long winded, I know.
Saw him in Laconia as well, still an incredible musician and guitarist!
Loved “Ride Like the Wind” when it came out. So unique. Great song!
Saw him open for Fleetwood Mac in Portland, OR right after the single hit the airwaves and liked the song straight away, but my jaw dropped when he went into the solo. Spot on, Rick, very Terry Kath, another monster whose talent remains unknown to any but fellow guitarists. The channel is a real joy, Rick. I talk back to you when watching the vids and my honey comes into the room to see who came into our house without her knowing!
Do you know how happy I am to know I'm not the only one who talks back to Rick's videos? OMG! I'm not alone.
Hey man - love your channel. I thankfully knew Chet Himes who engineered this record and he told me the story about the Ride Like the Wind solo. They thought a jamming solo was perfect for the end of the song. They had Eric Johnson take a few passes. They told Eric to rip out, but for whatever reason, Eric wasn't quite on the same page and they didn't really get the solo they wanted. So, Chet told Christopher to go in and play a solo like they had in mind. So that's Christopher Cross basically off the cuff I guess kind of trying to describe to EJ exactly what they had in mind, and it was so good! One of those beautiful studio moments that just happens. Kind of a neat side story was that Chet told me that the studio was dark when he took the solo, and all he could see was Christopher Cross' boots. Which, being it's Ride Like the Wind, just seeing his boots while he's ripping this solo out - that's pretty cool in its own right.
Again, love all that you do but, as for "proper volume" -- Chet was an absolutely incredible engineer. Impeccable. And a very humble, sweet guy. You know that there were different formats - that was likely mixed for the AM radio format at the time. So the guitar was going to be lower. When you listen closely, you can tell pushes the fader up at least 3 db (maybe even more) after Chris says "Gonna Ride like the Wind" at about the 3:38 mark for about 10 seconds.
Again, I'm a huge fan of yours, but you surely know that there are hundreds of ways to mix a song, and the label was probably targeting this for AM radio to compete for that airtime rather than FM for Kiss and Journey. So the guitar solo wasn't the A#1 thing they were trying to get across, as awesome as it was. The record as a whole sounds incredible.
How sad but understandable after what you educated us with. Too little too late for CC.
No excuse
Of course there are different ways to mix music, and there are different ways to make a pizza. But this amazing solo was hidden, dude. That's objectively true. How one feels about that can be subjective, but a LOT of us think it should have been done differently. Everyone can make a mistake.
@@MyClarissa21 It really wasn’t an “Excuse”…. It was a very thorough polite explanation. This was a hundred years ago so take that into account.
I have to say, I think you're right that Chet Himes nailed it. The vocal vamp is iconic and the rhythm of it is off-kilter but totally magical. The guitar solo on the other hand is like blind-drunk pentatonic 70s riff-rock. I'd love to hear what Eric Johnson did there--he probably actually played along with the song! That being said, I think the way CC's solo pokes in and out the mix gives the whole section a vibe--without it it would be repetitive (and it's so perfectly executed almost "programmed"), but with it, the whole thing comes to life. So, Himes: right, and Beato I love you, but wrong this time! :)